Your route stays on your phone. We collect very little, and say exactly what.
Who we are
BusRoute is a guidance app for school bus drivers, published by Klaas Erwin Kouwen, operating as BusRoute, Ontario, Canada ("we", "us"). This policy covers the BusRoute Driver app on Android and iOS and our server at osrm.busroute.app. Contact: klaas@busroute.app.
Summary
- Recorded routes, stops, times, student counts and notes are stored on your phone.
- The app contacts only our own server: to compute directions, to download map data, and once to activate your licence key.
- Route coordinates and map requests are not kept on the server.
- Licence activation records are kept, and your bus company can see the approximate place and date of each activation.
- No accounts, no advertising, no analytics, no tracking, and no student personal information.
What stays on your phone
Recorded runs, GPS stop positions, arrival times, student counts, stop types, notes and the saved driving map are stored on the phone where they were created. They leave the phone only when you share a route file yourself (by email, a messaging app or similar), and in the cases described in the next section.
What the app sends to our server
| When | What is sent | What we keep |
|---|---|---|
| You compute guidance for a route | The route's recorded GPS path, to work out turn-by-turn directions | Nothing — used to answer the request only |
| You import a route, or view a route map | Which map area is needed around the route | Nothing — the map is then stored on your phone and works offline |
| You enter a licence key | The key, a random device identifier created by the app, and your position at that moment, rounded to about 20 km on the phone before it is sent | The key, device identifier, date and time, your internet (IP) address, and that rounded position |
Like any web server, ours keeps routine logs that may include IP addresses, for up to 14 days, for security and troubleshooting. Route coordinates and map requests are excluded from these logs.
What your bus company sees
The bus company that holds your licence has a dashboard showing the approximate location (about 20 km) and date of each activation of its licence keys, and how many keys are in use. It does not see your routes, your driving, or your location at any other time.
Permissions
- Location while using the app — to detect stops while recording a route, to guide you on a substitute run, and once when you activate a licence key.
- Location while the screen is locked (asked for when guidance starts) — so guidance continues if the phone locks mid-run. It is used only while a guidance run is active, and only on the phone.
The app does not use your camera, microphone, contacts or photos.
Where data is stored and for how long
Our server is operated for us by Hetzner Online and is located in Germany, so activation records are stored outside Canada. Activation records are kept while the licence is active and deleted within 12 months after it ends. Server logs are kept for up to 14 days. Data on your phone stays until you delete it or uninstall the app; route data in the app stops working for guidance after 105 days.
Sharing
We do not sell or rent any data and do not use it for advertising. We share data only with your bus company as described above, with our hosting provider so it can run the server, and where required by law.
Map data comes from OpenFreeMap and OpenStreetMap. Our server fetches it on your behalf, so those services never receive your IP address or location. If you use "Navigate to stop", the stop's location is passed to the maps app you choose (for example Google Maps), under that app's own privacy terms.
Student information
BusRoute collects no personally identifiable student information. The only student-related data is an anonymous count per stop (for example "4 students"). The app asks drivers not to enter students' names or personal details in notes, because route files are shared between drivers.
Children's privacy
BusRoute is for licensed bus drivers and bus company staff. It is not directed at children and does not knowingly collect data from anyone under 18.
Security
All communication with our server is encrypted (HTTPS). Activation data is accessible only to us and, for its own keys, to your bus company through its dashboard.
Your rights
You can ask what activation data we hold for your device, and ask us to correct or delete it, by writing to klaas@busroute.app. We will reply within 30 days. Uninstalling the app deletes everything stored on the phone. If you are not satisfied with our answer, you can contact the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada.
Changes to this policy
When this policy changes in a way that matters, the app shows a short summary of what changed and asks you to accept it before you continue.
Governing law
This policy is governed by the laws of the Province of Ontario and the federal laws of Canada that apply there.